Puzzle.



PATENTBD MAR. 8, 1908. E. G. HODGSON.

PUZZLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 13, 1907.

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PATENTED MAR. 3, 1908. E. G. HODGSON.

PUZZLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.13. 1907.

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ERNEST G. I-IODGSON, OF MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WIL- LIAM DEAN,

OF MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT.

PUZZLE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 3, 1908.

Application filed April 13, 1907. Serial No. 368,022w

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ERNEST G. HoDesoN, a citizen of United States, residing at Middletown, in the county of Middlesex, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to puzzles, and more particularly to puzzles of that type which include a flooring having inlet and outlet openings, a runway connecting said openings, and a plurality of spherical bodies movable upon the flooring through the openings and into and out of the runway.

The object of the invention resides in the provision of an inexpensive and cheaply constructed puzzle of the above described type whose solution can be effected only by a careful and skilful manipulation of the device or the parts thereof.

The invention will be readily understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, and its preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are designated by corresponding reference numerals in the several views.

Of the drawingsFigure 1 is a top plan view of the improved puzzle. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view thereof, the bottom of the receptacle having been removed. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sections on the-lines 44 and 55 of Fig. 1.

In Fig. 1 a portion of the bridge which connects the floors is broken away, to disclose the shoulder formed on the lower floor.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the puzzle is shown as comprising an open, rectangular frame or receptacle 7 wi hin which is disposed a horizontal parti tion 8, attached by its vertical flanges 9 to the inner faces of the receptacle sides. This partition which is formed of card-board or similar material, is bent upon itself to form upper and lower horizontal floors 10 and 11 connected by a vertical wall 12, which latter is provided with a circular opening 13 formed centrally therethrough.

The two floors are connected at their inner ends by a bridge 14, whose lower end extends directly across a sector shaped wooden member 15 fastened to the lower floor opposite the opening 13 above referred to, the curved face of the member 15 facing said opening. The upper floor is likewise pro vided with an opening 16 located towards its outer or free end.

Disposed beneath the upper floor is a runway 17 whose opposite ends lie adjacent the openings 13 and 16. The runway is formed by a pair of longitudinally spaced, parallel strips 18 which are secured to the under face of said floor, and are further secured at one end to the inner face of the wall 12 upon opposite sides of the opening 13. Each of said strips is provided at its other end with a second strip 19, which extends at an obtuse angle thereto to the adjacent side wall of the receptacle, so that said extensions form a flaring mouth or channel. In additionto the strips 18 and 19, there is secured to theunder face of the floor 10 a depending, transverse partition 20 which is secured at one end to one of the receptacle side walls adjacent the end of the corresponding strip 19, the other end of said partition stopping short of the opposite receptacle side wall to provide a passage 21 between the runway mouth disposed on one side of the partition and a chamber 22 on the other side thereof. This chamber 22 is in turn provided with a partition 23 having a circular opening 24 formed therethrough.

The openings 13, 16, and 2 1 are sufficiently large to admit the five spherical bodies 25, which are used in playing the game, to pass freely therethrough, the opening 13 being normally covered by a swinging member 26 carried by a hook 27 fastened in the wall 12 directly above said opening.

The receptacle is further provided with a glass top 28, and with a bottom panel 29 which is preferably removably engaged with the receptacle, to permit access to the runway and to the partitioned portion of the chamber, the under faces of the several partitions and of the runway-strips being approximately flush with the inner face of said panel.

The object of the puzzle is to so manipulate the receptacle as to lodge all of the spherical bodies, whose number may be varied as desired, in the chamber disposed beneath the upper floor, passing said bodies through the opening 16, which acts as an inlet. This object, however, can be accomplished only with the exercise of considerable extending I care and skill, as the slightest inclination of the receptacle towards the lower floor end, will cause the bodies to pass through the runway and the outlet opening 13. It is to be understood, moreover, that the spherical bodies are originally disposed upon the lower floor, and must travel across the bridge 14 onto the upper floor.

The spherical bodies are prevented from entering the runway through the opening 13 by the swinging member 26, and they are prevented from becoming lodged beneaththe bridge by the member 15, which thus acts as a deflector. It will be likewise apparent that the provision of a wooden bottom panel prevents the existence of the partitioned end of the chamber from becoming known, thus increasing the di'fliculty of solving the puzzle, as the spheres can be retained within the chamber only by causing them to enter such partitioned end through the opening 23, which can be accomplished by raising the bridge end of the receptacle as each body passes through the inlet 16, and then tilting the receptacle sharply towards such chamber end.

The puzzle may obviously be ornamented, after the manner of the various rolling sphere puzzles now manufactured. Its various parts may likewise be fancifully named; for instance, that portion of the upper floor through which the inlet is formed, may be termed the barn, the lower floor, the pasture, and the spheres, the cows, the puzzle itself being termed Driving home the cows or some such similar name.

What is claimed is:

1. A puzzle comprising, in combination, a receptacle; a partition disposed within said receptacle and bent transversely between its ends to form upper and lower horizontal floors arranged one in advance of the other and a vertical wall connecting the adjacent ends of said floors, said wall being provided with a central opening, and said upper floor having an opening formed therethrough adj acent its outer end; a transverse, depending partition secured to the under face of said upper floor; a chamber located beneath said upper floor upon one side of said partition; a runway located beneath said upper floor upon the other side of said partition and communicating at opposite ends with said openings, said runway including an extension communicating with said chamber; and a plurality of spherical bodies adapted to pass through said openings and along said runway, and to be lodged in said chamber.

2. A puzzle comprising, in combination, a receptacle; a partition disposed within said receptacle and bent transversely between its ends to form upper and lower horizontal floors arranged one in advance of the other and a vertical wall connecting the adjacent ends of said floors, said wall being provided with a central opening, and said upper floor having an opening formed therethrough adjacent its outer end; a transverse, depending partition secured to the under face of said upper floor; a chamber located beneath said upper floor upon one side of said partition; a runway located beneath said upper floor upon the other side of said partition and communicating at opposite ends with said openings, said runway including an extension communicating with said chamber; a plurality of spherical bodies adapted to pass through said openings and along said runway, and to be lodged in said chamber; and a bridge connecting said floors, to permit said bodies to pass from one floor to the other.

3. A puzzle comprising, in combination, a receptacle; a partition disposed within said receptacle and bent transversely between its ends to form upper and lower horizontal floors arranged one in advance of the other and a vertical wall connecting the adjacent ends of said floors, said wall being provided with a central opening, and said upper floor having an opening formed therethrough adjacent its outer end; a transverse, depending partition secured to the under face of said upper floor; a chamber located beneath said upper floor upon one side of said partition; a runway located beneath said upper floor upon the other side of said partition and communicating at opposite ends with said openings, said runway including an extension communicating with said chamber; a plurality of spherical bodies adapted to pass through said openings and along said runway, and to be lodged in said chamber; and means carried by said vertical wall and adapted to extend across the opening therein, to prevent said bodies from passing through said opening into said runway.

4. A puzzle comprising, in combination, a receptacle; a partition disposed within said receptacle and bent transversely between its ends to form upper and lower horizontal floors arranged one in advance of the other and a vertical wall connecting the adjacent ends of said floors, said wall being provided with a central opening, and said upper floor having an opening formed therethrough adj acent its outer end; a transverse, depending partition secured to the under face of said upper floor; a chamber located beneath said upper floor upon one side of said partition; a runway located beneath said-upper floor upon the other side of said partition and communicating at opposite ends with said openings, said runway including an extension communicating with said chamber; a plurality of spherical bodies adapted to pass through said openings and along said runway, and to be lodged in said chamber; a bridge connecting said floors, to permit said bodies to pass from one floor to the other;

and means carried by said lower floor, for

preventing said bodies from becoming lodged beneath said bridge.

5. A puzzle comprisin in combination, a receptacle provided wit upper and lower horizontal floors arranged one in advance of the other, said upper floor having an inlet opening formed therethrough adjacent its outer edge; a transversely extending vertical wall connecting the adjacent edges of said floors, said wall being provided with an outlet opening; a runway located beneath said upper floor and communicating with said openings; a plurality of spherical bodies adapted to travel through said openings and runway; and a bridge connecting said floors, to permit said bodies to travel from one floor to theother.

6. A puzzle, com rising in combination, a receptacle provide with upper and lower horizontal floors arranged one in advance of the other, said upper floor having an inlet opening formed therethrough adjacent its outer edge; a transversely extending vertical Wall connecting the adjacent edges of said floors, said wall being provided with an outlet opening; a runway located beneath said upper floor and communicating with said openings; a chamber located beneath said upper floor adjacent one end of said runway; a plurality of spherical bodies adapted to travel through said inlet opening into said runway; a bridge connecting said floors for permitting said bodies to travel from one floor to the other; swinging means for preventing said bodies from entering said runway through said outlet opening; means forming an extension of said runway for directing said bodies into said chamber; and means for retaining said bodies in said chamber when disposed therein.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST G. HODGSON. Witnesses:

WILLIAM DEAN, ELMER G. DERBY. 

